What do people mean when they tell you to do "research" ?

[2026PreMed]

I currently am an intern in a Biology lab at my school. I will likely have lots of hours + opportunites for LORs from some of the Proffessors here who are conducting the research.

I have heard many times on this site that research is a MUST as applying without it can harm your applicaiton.

Is what I am doing enough to be concidered research ? I dont actually write up any experiments and my name will probably not be on any of the publications coming from this lab. My duties include but are not limitied to - Gel Electrophoresis, Making templates that will be used to place bacteria on for experiments. Putting Pollen on seeds in the greenhouse and monitoring it, and making compounds with correct ph and other variables to be used by grad students.

Will med schools concider this research ? Or is this more akin to an internship ?

Curious to hear everyones thoughts 🤔

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[CBass2288]

you don’t need publications for what you’re doing to be considered research. if you’re working in a lab and contributing to a research project, that’s 100% research hours that count towards your application. if those aren’t, then I don’t know what is.

 

[2026PreMed]

you don’t need publications for what you’re doing to be considered research. if you’re working in a lab and contributing to a research project, that’s 100% research hours that count towards your application. if those aren’t, then I don’t know what is.

Ok so it sounds like what I am currently engaged in could be concidered research experiece that will be accepted by medical schools ? Does it matter if it is in plant biology and not general bio/chemistry or is any research fine as long as its science ?

 

[StudentMeddie]

A lot of pre-med research is more supportive work like sampling processing that you're doing. That for sure counts as research. More substantial research would be things like being the lead on a project, presenting it at a conference or event of any size, and then most substantial would be publishing it.

 

[2026PreMed]

A lot of pre-med research is more supportive work like sampling processing that you're doing. That for sure counts as research. More substantial research would be things like being the lead on a project, presenting it at a conference or event of any size, and then most substantial would be publishing it.

Is there any reasonable way that I might do the things you outlined in undergrad ? Or is that more to the tune of graduate students ?

 

[lenmedde73]

Is there any reasonable way that I might do the things you outlined in undergrad ? Or is that more to the tune of graduate students ?

I presented at my first national conference at 19 just after finishing freshman year, so you could certainly do those things. It's just difficult. I would see if your school has a research office. Or you can see if your school has internal events like research days or symposiums; that's a good start before jumping into a formal, professional conference. An example of a project could be an honors thesis. That's A LOT of work (often the amount of a part time job; 15-25 hours/week). Usually, that's junior or senior year and your lab will facilitate it. Same thing with getting a publication, it's all about if you have time AND if your lab feels like publishing something AND if the thing they want to publish...they want you to write a considerable amount of it.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I currently am an intern in a Biology lab at my school. I will likely have lots of hours + opportunites for LORs from some of the Proffessors here who are conducting the research.

I have heard many times on this site that research is a MUST as applying without it can harm your applicaiton.

Is what I am doing enough to be concidered research ? I dont actually write up any experiments and my name will probably not be on any of the publications coming from this lab. My duties include but are not limitied to - Gel Electrophoresis, Making templates that will be used to place bacteria on for experiments. Putting Pollen on seeds in the greenhouse and monitoring it, and making compounds with correct ph and other variables to be used by grad students.

Will med schools concider this research ? Or is this more akin to an internship ?

Curious to hear everyones thoughts 🤔

What's your hypothesis? If you have an answer, you are more likely doing research.

I am inclined to classify your activities more as a lab technician supporting core facilities or managing research assets. Not everyone who is a vet technician in an animal facility or who runs the autoclaves is doing research.

Research is not a requirement for medical school, but most of the top students do research because they want an honors distinction as a top student from their university.

Nothing wrong with being a technician. Just make sure you are getting paid (work study at least).

 

[polymerization]

When people say "do research," they don't mean conduct research. It just means participate in the scientific process, usually associated with something that will go to publication.

So, research doesn't have to happen in the lab, it can also happen in a greenhouse; underwater, taking samples of marine sponges; at a large academic health center; or at an ordinary office if your interest is digitally legible (epidemiology, humanities, etc.).

What I think is most important, though, is that you start to contextualize what you're doing. If you atomize your tasks to such an extent that all you can say is that you ran a gel in the lab, you're going to very quickly tire of the grind. There has to be more spirit and motivation behind that: what is the research that you're doing aiming to solve? Are you isolating herbal compounds with antimicrobial activity effective against something like Pseudomonas aeruginosa? I hear that is a fatal infection for cystic fibrosis patients, for example. This is much more legible and human than "putting pollen on seeds in the greenhouse."

 

[GoSpursGo]

This is research. But as highlighted above, what matters is whether what you're doing is hypothesis driven. It doesn't have to be a hypothesis that you personally came up with or will be analyzing, but you absolutely need to at least know what the hypothesis IS, and how what you're doing relates to how they're testing the hypothesis.

 

[Goro]

Ok so it sounds like what I am currently engaged in could be concidered research experiece that will be accepted by medical schools ? Does it matter if it is in plant biology and not general bio/chemistry or is any research fine as long as its science ?

As long as you're learning something about the scientific method, that's what medical schools are happy with.

Your research could be anything from studying clams in Fiji to the effects of a new chemotherapeutic agent on leukemic cells.

 

[2026PreMed]

What's your hypothesis? If you have an answer, you are more likely doing research.

I am inclined to classify your activities more as a lab technician supporting core facilities or managing research assets. Not everyone who is a vet technician in an animal facility or who runs the autoclaves is doing research.

Research is not a requirement for medical school, but most of the top students do research because they want an honors distinction as a top student from their university.

Nothing wrong with being a technician. Just make sure you are getting paid (work study at least).

I know the hypothesis of this lab and the goals of the research project that I am engaged in and how my work relates to it. However it is not MY hypothesis and I am not being paid for this. My school website lists it as an internship experiece in my portal but that is the default listing for pretty much everything at this school.

 

[mistafab]

Buddy, you are doing research.

You are a research intern for your biology lab.

You are not expected to publish to get into medical school. You are engaging in the process and learning how research works. You are doing a great job.

 

[2026PreMed]

Buddy, you are doing research.

You are a research intern for your biology lab.

You are not expected to publish to get into medical school. You are engaging in the process and learning how research works. You are doing a great job.

Thank you for your response. I wish I could say that I feel the same but it will take more work before I can truly be defined as doing a "good job". Thank you as well for your support. I hope to be a Physician just like you one day.